Posted on 05/19/2008 5:21:51 AM PDT by thackney
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - The Bush administration on Friday proposed keeping potentially oil-rich wetlands in Arctic Alaska off-limits to drilling because of their ecological sensitivity, a reversal of its earlier plan.
The Bureau of Land Management proposed a 10-year leasing moratorium for 430,000 acres of wetlands north and east of vast Teshekpuk Lake in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Environmentalists and local groups hailed the decision.
"This plan provides a balanced approach to energy development and wildlife protection, and forms a solid basis for the Bureau of Land Management to proceed with an oil and gas lease sale later this year," Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said in a statement.
The area, the North Slope's biggest freshwater lake, is considered potentially rich in oil and gas as well as a critical habitat for migrating birds and caribou. Two years ago, the administration was poised to sell leases to energy companies seeking to drill.
But a lawsuit by environmentalists and native groups forced the agency to revisit the plan in late 2006.
Extensive public comment, input from the local government and practical considerations contributed to the policy change, said Jim Ducker, an environmental program analyst for the BLM.
Ducker noted that the area is 40 to 70 miles away from any oil-field infrastructure.
"Our thinking is, it's pretty darn unlikely that we're going to have any development there" in the near future, he said.
Ducker said the BLM hopes the new plan will result in a lease sale this fall, to encompass essentially the same area offered for lease by the Clinton administration in 1999.
Geologists estimate the area holds 2.8 billion barrels of oil, he said, with 800 million barrels in the deferral area.
Environmentalists were pleased with the BLM's new plan.
"It is a win," said Stan Senner, executive director of Audubon Alaska, one of the groups campaigning for preservation. "I think they've responded to public interest in seeing that the area's protected, and it gives people who care about the place time to work on a permanent solution."
The BLM statement noted that North Slope Borough Mayor Edward Itta said "The lease sale can proceed while one of the region's most sensitive wildlife habitats will be protected. It's a win-win."
The borough, which opposed oil development in the area because it is important to Inupiat Eskimo hunters, was enlisted to help prepare the new plan after a federal judge voided the previous leasing plan.
The 23 million acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, on the central North Slope, was created in 1923 as a potential source of energy for the military.
Despite sporadic exploration drilling since the 1940s, almost all the successful oil development that ensued on the North Slope occurred on state land east of the reserve.
Industry interest in the petroleum reserve resurfaced in the 1990s, after Arco Alaska Inc. discovered the Alpine oil field on state land bordering the federal unit. Alpine is now operated by Arco successor ConocoPhillips.
While there has never been any commercial oil production in the petroleum reserve, ConocoPhillips and partner Anadarko plan to develop Alpine satellite fields on the federal land there.
You need to pay much closer attention. This is all about speeding up the drilling process in the National Petroleum Reserve areas whit very high probability of large reserves.
Your criticism is not only justified it is just plain wrong.
Do a little research to learn the error of your ways.
Google is your friend
We need to be producing both ANWR Coastal Plain and NPRA. Both area were set aside for Petroleum when the areas were created.
The area, the North Slope's biggest freshwater lake, is considered potentially rich in oil and gas as well as a critical habitat for migrating birds and caribou.
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh, caribou again!!!
I'm getting to the point that I want to see every caribou - DEAD!
Oh that is very very good. I like it much.
Bush goes to the Saudi’s to beg for more oil only to be snubbed and now refuses to allow drilling on US soil. We have no reason to complain about high gasoline prices as we are brining them on ourselves by such idiotic policies.
You are so right. George W. Bush, although often right, is such a failure on so many issues. It is no wonder that the Republican Party is in such disarray.
Everytime they do something like this, the price goes up.
Get ready for $10 a gallon gas. How long before people storm congress?
International Energy Agency - Oil Market Report
http://omrpublic.iea.org/
I guess if oil is going to be $300 a barrel someday, we’ll be glad we saved it for later.
thanks and bookmark for use
The Caribou herds have tripled since the North Slope oil infrastructure was developed. If we build another one hunting might have to be implemented to thin the herd for its own well being.
Here’s my theory: The Saudis and other Arab countries have promised EVERYONE in Washington a retirement with $1 Billion in a Swiss bank account.
Any reporters doing ANYTHING to investigate the oceans of dirty money in Washington?
And yet the loyalist Pubbies continue to blame the mean ole Democrats.
Wonder how the voters will feel about this when they are paying out of their pockets for $4+/gal gas, double-digit grocery price increases, skyrocketing utility bills.
The ole ‘blame the Dem Congress’ game just lost about 99 points.
Offhand, will this same website have the oil production numbers for North America?
Well, that could be amen Whitey.
Hmmm....so what this boils down to is that a SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT area will be leased for oil exploration. However, the brain dead bashers are probably already here.
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